Chicago City Maze

The Snapdragons

One car, two iPhones, three snapdragons and four people. A Korean artist, a Chinese tourist and two Ukrainian curators went on a road trip together from Kharkov to Dnipro in Ukraine. The three-channel film pays playful tribute to Dnipro – used to be called “the rocket closed city”. The ghost of the Soviet Union and the voice of the God (played by Siri) are hovering over the film in which questions the system and ideology of modern society.

The Trace of a City Phantom

including performance and sound (12' 30")

Stage : Acrylic and chalk on board (200 x 200 x 10 cm)

Glass: Copper paint on glass (55 x 55 x 0.6 cm)

2014

Volumes in the Paper-cup

I volunteered at the Koyang mental hospital as an art teacher. Intrigued by Michel Foucault’s study of the history of modern mental institutions, I tried to investigate a microcosm of his theory. Through collaboration with patients, I set out to explore mental institution as a form of incarceration and surveillance as a tool for the molding of minds. My direct experiences with patients, however, led to an understanding of observing and being observed that was not stipulated in Foucault’s theory. I realized that patients were not passive objects of observation, but were also active observers, and that the acknowledgement of our equality was essential for developing relationship with them. I also witnessed how this population was bound by physical structures and the structure of rules, and how they reacted and adapted to their surroundings. The experience inspired me to explore the influence of physical structures on people and the environment in the context of a larger society.